Need for more victim support services on the rise in Durham

Sex Slavery

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DURHAM -- There have been relatively few human trafficking charges prosecuted in Durham Region, but that’s likely to change as police aggressively pursue pimps who exploit victims, typically young women in their teens and early 20s. Durham cops say human trafficking is a burgeoning issue here, and that the problem is getting worse.
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Prosecutors and police must gain the trust of traumatized victims, then rely on courts to hand down appropriate sentences for crimes of human exploitation, said JulieAnn Barrett, an assistant Crown attorney in Durham Region.

“They are challenging prosecutions,” she said. “They’re complicated. There’s usually been a lot of police resources and investigative time put into them for good reason. We’re dealing with vulnerable young women, so that’s a challenge in and of itself sometimes.”

There have been relatively few human trafficking charges prosecuted in Durham Region, but that’s likely to change as police aggressively pursue pimps who exploit victims, typically young women in their teens and early 20s. Durham cops say human trafficking is a burgeoning issue here, and that the problem is getting worse.

“Victims are so reluctant to provide a statement to us,” said Durham police Constable Phil Groeneveld, who has been involved in a number of human trafficking investigations.

He said cops investigating the offence are looking not for evidence of prostitution; the essential element of human trafficking is exploitation for monetary gain.

Victims encountered by Durham cops are often young -- one girl found working here was 14 -- and have usually been coerced through threats, violence or deprivation. They’re often terrified to talk to police at all, let alone consider testifying in court, said Sergeant Ron Kapuscinski.

“An exploited person can feel they have no other choice, for fear of violence to themselves or somebody else,” he said.

Ms. Barrett agreed.

“Invariably we are dealing with very vulnerable victims -- and I’m going to say young women, because it is overwhelmingly young women -- who are exploited. Oftentimes they are brought into this life very young,” she said.

“Sometimes that’s a challenge for the police and for us because just laying the charge isn’t the end of the journey; (victims) need a lot of support and a lot of resources. And there aren’t as many resources in the community as we would like for them.”

Durham police are currently working with Walk With Me Canada, a Hamilton-based organization that provides services for human trafficking victims. In a meeting with Whitby council last month, Sgt. Kapuscinski said services in Durham targeting human trafficking are still in a transition period.

“We are continuing to provide support to victims ... with any investigation involving young female victims, it’s delicate. It’s very difficult over the course of time as the court procedures move on to ensure the victims’ safety and that their statement on this date is the same as their testimony six months from now,” he said.

“We’re trying to come up with a long-term model within Durham Regional Police to ensure that there is some continuity for our victims and for our investigative teams. Right now, it’s project to project.”

Local victim services are limited and that’s partly because “the women that are part of human trafficking rings are generally kept away from the resources that can help them,” says Beth Whalen, co-ordinator of harm reduction services with the John Howard Society of Durham Region.

The organization provides a variety of services for sex trade workers through a drop-in program, including a hot meal, access to showers, laundry, counselling, referrals, clothing and educational workshops.

Glenda Leahey, outreach counsellor at John Howard Society’s Oshawa location, said while she hasn’t dealt with sex slavery victims specifically, she has noticed increasingly younger girls coming in for support.

“I believe there is a growing need (for services),” she said. “Unfortunately, what I’m seeing right now is a younger population on the street, which is alarming to me.”

The girls are typically between the ages of 14 and 21, she added.

If the offence involves a victim under 18, the mandatory minimum sentence for human trafficking is five years. That’s one of the sentencing guidelines the courts must follow upon conviction. Other related offences –- pimps are often charged with threatening or crimes of violence -- can be considered aggravating factors by judges and result in longer sentences.

Ms. Barrett said Canada’s human trafficking laws are still relatively new, so sentencing ranges are still being established. Typically, appeals of lower court rulings help shape those ranges.

“This is going to evolve over time. There have not been a whole lot of cases, and there has not been a lot of interpretation by the courts of what exactly will qualify as the offence of human trafficking in terms of facts and also in terms of what sentence should be involved. It’s going to take some time to work its way through the court process,” Ms. Barrett said.

“Much like child pornography offences, we had lots of trial level prosecutions and decisions that made their way up to the Court of Appeal and then we started to get some very clear direction from the Court of Appeal about what these sentences should be and then of course Parliament enacted the mandatory minimums that we have now. And that’s somewhat the way it’s been with human trafficking, too.”

Part one ran Wednesday, April 9 and looked at the role Durham police play.

Part three, running Wednesday, April 30, features a former sex slave worker and her role working with Durham police.